A week in Malaysia – Rishi Dua

I love making impulsive plans. It all started when I was in Hard Rock Cafe and heard about an Air Asia sale for round trip tickets to Kuala Lumpur for less than 8000 INR (120USD). I stepped out, called other friends from work and college and booked tickets for 6 of us that night, followed by 10 other friends booking their flights later that week.

Since the flights from Vizag were cheaper than Hyderabad and Vizag was on my travel list, we decided to take our onward journey from Vizag

Here’s the itinerary for our one week road trip to Malaysia.

Itinerary

Friday, Mar 11

We departed at 20:30 Depart from SC, taking the 12740 to Vizag.

Saturday, Mar 12

We reached VSKP at 07:40 and headed out to collect our rental cars from Myles and headed off for a day trip to Bora caves followed by a night out at Ramakrishna beach.

Sunday, Mar 13

This was the day we were set to leave for Malaysia. After trying out local restaurants during the day, off we were at 21:55 ready for the upcoming adventures.

Monday, Mar 14

04:20 am Kuala Lumpur Airport, and it begins!

Getting sim cards from the airport (Digi is a good option if you’re visiting short term) and collecting the rental cars, we headed out to Taman Negara on one of the most scenic drives stopping by Jerantut on the way to drop our bags at the AirBnb.

Tuesday, Mar 15

Thanks to the awesome hosts with a fully loaded kitchen, we had a heavy breakfast and left for hiking and swimming in Taman Negara.

Taman Negara is a National park famous for its 45 meters high and 510 meters long Canopy Walk.

A note on guided tours: Taman Negara can be explored yourself without taking the guided tours. Keep walking to the river and you’ll find boatmen who’ll take you across to the park for RM2 where you can buy the entry ticket and explore the complete area yourself.

After finishing the Canopy Walk, we roamed around the forest – hiking and swimming along the way.

Wednesday, Mar 16

While waiting for others to wake up, I and Mittal decided to check out Lata Meraung, a waterfall close to our Airbnb. On our way we had to use sign language extensively to figure make it to the falls.

One of the biggest hints to the waterfall hunt was saying “water water water water” and waiving hands to explain the fall

Followed by that, we explored Jerantut and headed to Kuala Lumpur for the infamous Bukit Tabur trek. Make sure you buy a permit if you want to trek. The trek is dangerous and some of us had to return half-way.

After the trek, we visited Petronas Towers and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for the night.

Outside the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur

Thursday, Mar 17

After a tiring first half, it was the time to head north and explore local cuisine, beaches and culture in Penang and Langkawi. Our first stop on the drive was an authentic Malaysian restaurant.

Friday, Mar 18

Take early morning ferry to Langkawi.

Ferry tips: It is way cheaper to drive to Kuala Kedah and take a ferry from there (23 MYR) instead of taking one from Penang. There is plenty of paid parking available in Kuala Kedah and ferries are more frequent from there.

Overnight in Langkawi

Sat, Mar 19

We took the Langkawi Cable Car to the Sky Bridge — the site where the climax of Shahrukh Khan-starrer Don was filmed and where our group decided to show-off our Bhangra skills.

View of Langkawi Sky Bride from the cable car

Later that night, we left for Penang, where we stayed overnight.

Ferry back from Langkawi. I was drunk throughout the journey.

Sun, Mar 18

On the final day, we drove back to Kuala Lumpur, visited the Google office and headed to the airport.

Google Kuala Lumpur office on the 20th floor. This place offered the best views of city

Overall Malaysia offers a great mix of adventure and nature on a very low budget. Diverse landscapes, great roads and great food makes it one of my favorite options for road trips.